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Friday, July 8, 2011

I'm sorry I haven't updated my blog in such a long time. A lot has happened since my last update. I'm still training but to any specific plan, just swimming, running and cycling. It's been really hot so cycling and running haven't been what I've wanted. I have the Tour de Cure coming up on the 23rd so I'm excited about that.

Well since the last update, I did the Mesquite Rodeo 62 mile ride. It was a good ride but I was definately not ready for it. Luckily I wasn't that hot or humid and there was a slight breeze. I got a RoadID after seeing a pretty bad crash during the ride. A guy was laying unconscious on the middle of the road. I suggest everyone have one, whether they're swimming, running or cycling. Click on the banner to get yourself one.

I completed my second half marathon called the Wounded Warrior. I ran 6 miles non stop and then had to use the restroom and it all went downhill from there. I lost my rhythm and couldnt get it back. I finished exactly as my last half marathon 2:37. I also completed the Liberty by the lake 10k. All I have to say is that it's poorly supported and very hot with no shade.

Monday, May 16, 2011

This day started like any other run,bike or triathlon. The night before I packed everything I needed into my bag and went to sleep around 10pm. I set my alarm at 4:41 and snoozed it until 5am. I got up and did my morning routine (I'm sure you don't want know what that is) and loaded my bike and bag into the car. I left the house around 5:20am and drove for about 30 minutes. When I got there I noticed there weren't that many cars.

I unloaded my bike, grabbed my bag and headed over to the transition area. I got marked and the lady marking asked me if I was a Clydesdale, I guess it's pretty obvious I'm overweight, so I got a nice big "C" on my left calf. It was very cold, maybe low 50's before the sun came out and mid 50's after the sun was up.

When I got to my rack it was a mess, they told everyone to hook the bikes with the handle bars but of course not everyone's bike was able to hook up that way. Then you had the people who brought their whole wardrobe in their bag and took about 4 feet of space. I guess I got lucky I was not in the low numbers with the competitive people. I was actually joking around with the other people in my area about the lack of space, in the lower numbers people were actually arguing about space. I managed to snap a pic before the event started.

Note the position of my helmet

We all lined up at the pool, even numbers on one side and odd numbers on the other side. I slowly moved up the line and finally it was my turn. I wasn't nervous until I finally hit the water. I swam about halfway down the pool and I lost control of my breathing. Not only was I not putting my head under water but I couldn't get a whole breath in. I was gasping for air but I made it to the end of the pool. I grabbed the wall for about half a minute and I went again. It was hell not being able to breathe properly and I actually managed to take a gulp of water. I passed at least one person but they passed me again when I had to catch my breath at the wall. I continued to grab the wall for half a minute until the end. I was embarrassed of my swim knowing everyone was watching me grab the wall.

I hurried on to the transition area still dazed and confused from the swim. As soon as I went outside the chilly wind hit me and put me into even more of a confusion. I put my shirt on, grabbed my sunglasses, put my socks and shoes on and I hurried out the transition area....this is where the "note the position of my helmet" comment comes into play. As I was getting ready to run out the transition area I hear someone say, "Don't forget your helmet". I touched my head and no helmet. In all the confusion of not being able to breathe properly and the cold hitting me, I forgot to put my helmet on. So there I went running back to my area to get my helmet. Next time I'll make sure I put it next to my shoes.

As soon as I got on the bike I started burping for about 5 minutes, I'm not sure why that was but my guess was it has something to do with the water I ingested in the pool. About half a mile in we turned north into the chilly wind. This did not feel good at all, I was tired and cold. At the halfway mark we turned around and finally got a break from the wind and cold. Everything was fine on the bike. I reached the transition are and put the running shoes one.

The run started out pretty good and about half a mile in my stomach started cramping up. I should have gone to the restroom to poop before the race. About a mile and half a guy caught up to me who was also a Clydesdale and we got to talking so that made the run easier. He slowed down with a mile to go because his legs were cramping up. I finally finished and could not be happier about it. Results are as follows.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Training is still going fairly good. I'm still not doing as much as I should since I'm doing P90X. I'm in week 3 of that and I'm tired and sore. Last night I went running after doing my workout and I barely finished 3 miles. It was a combination of me being tired from the workout and the humidity that did me in.

I have the Classic Rotary Rock Sprint Tri this weekend. I had issues with passing people in the pool last at the Caveman Sprint Tri but Luckily this time the pool is a 50 meter one so there will be more time to pass people. I looked at the course for this weekend and it's not too bad. Ride 10km North and then 10km South. I really wish they'd put up more information like parking, transition areas and exits for the swim, bike and run parts.

Friday, May 6, 2011

We've all seen them and most of us have thought about throwing a rock at them, Hipsters. They can easily be recognized by their fixed gear bikes, beards and oh yeah not wearing a helmet. But I'm not here to tell you that I don't like hipsters, I'm posting to tell you that they're actually making it hard for us to ride our bikes in the streets.

Let me start with this. You see a guy riding a bike on the sidewalk you think no biggie, on the other hand you see a guy riding a bike on the street and you want to get around him. For those of us who have road bikes we can keep up with traffic fairly well, use hand signals and don't weave in and out of traffic. Well these guys (hipsters) don't care. They don't wear helmets, weave in and out traffic without signaling and go fairly slow.

I was driving down a three lane street close to my house one day and this guy was on the left lane and not going very fast. All the cars had to move to the center lane to avoid him. After about a mile he just jumped the curb and continued on. I can tell by the faces of the drivers that they were not happy that they had to move to the center lane to avoid him. This was not an isolated incident either, which brings me to my point. The more and more hipsters that ride on the streets, the less that drivers care about bicycles.

I've lived in the same area for about 3 years now and have always gone out riding with no issues. Recently drivers have become more aggressive. I was riding my bike a couple weeks ago and this one driver passed me on the left about 2 feet from hitting me and quickly got back on my lane, again almost hitting me. It wouldn't be and issue if there were bike lanes in the area but there aren't any. So please hipsters stop being such reckless riders and making the actual rider's commute less dangerous.

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About Me

I'm 26 and not in the best shape of my life. I'm trying to accomplish my lifelong dream of completing a full Ironman triathlon but for the moment I'm taking baby steps and only training for a half Ironman.